The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said the possibility of enshrining Faker, a League of Legends (LoL) world champion and e-sports legend, at the National Cemetery is "possible if the burial is decided after deliberation."
On the 23rd, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs posted a card news item on its official social networking service (SNS) titled "Faker, who received the Cheongnyong Medal of the Order of Sports Merit—could he also be laid to rest at the National Cemetery?"
According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, recipients of the Cheongnyong Medal of the Order of Sports Merit are not considered persons of distinguished service to the state under the Act on the Honorable Treatment of and Support for Persons of Distinguished Service to the State.
However, separate criteria apply regarding burial at the National Cemetery. Under Article 5 of the Act on the Establishment and Management of National Cemeteries, if recognized as a national contributor to society, recipients of the Order of Sports Merit may also be interred posthumously following deliberation by the Burial Eligibility Review Committee.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs noted that questions such as "Can Faker also be interred at the National Cemetery?" and "Does he qualify as a person of distinguished service to the state?" have continued, explaining the background for proactively addressing whether Lee Sang-hyeok, who is 30 this year, could be buried in a national cemetery.
Earlier, on Jan. 2, President Lee Jae-myung presented the Cheongnyong Medal of the Order of Sports Merit to Lee Sang-hyeok at the Blue House State Guest House for his contributions to the development of e-sports in Korea.
The Cheongnyong Medal is the highest grade among the Order of Sports Merit, and has been awarded to marathoner Sohn Kee-chung, soccer manager Guus Hiddink, figure skater Kim Yuna, national soccer team member Son Heung-min, and golfer Pak Se-ri. Lee Sang-hyeok is the first e-sports player to receive the Cheongnyong Medal.
Lee Sang-hyeok is the captain of T1, a LoL e-sports team, and in November last year set a milestone by achieving the first-ever "three consecutive wins at the LoL World Championship (Worlds)" in LoL e-sports history. The Blue House at the time said, "Lee Sang-hyeok has consistently delivered world-class results and imprinted the stature of Korean e-sports on the world," explaining the reason for the award.